The girl with the tribal tattoo
by Ametist now and forever
Summary: What if the Gaang would have had a 4th member in the first season? The Gaang meets a mysterious girl in a river and she tells them stuff.  And since I'm a Kataanger it also tells the story of Aang and Katara again.  Rated K 'cause I'm paranoid. Enjoy!
1. Discoveries

My first fanfic EVER! 3

Hope you'll enjoy it, please R&R!

**Also: If I owned A:TLA, why would I be writing fanfiction about it? **(meaning that I totally don't!)

Summary: What if the Gaang would have had a 4th member in the first season? The Gaang meets a mysterious girl in a river and she tells them stuff.

Chapter 1: After the Deserter, Before the Northern Air Temple

While travelling towards the North Pole, the Gaang saw a young waterbender train alone in a river.

Katara: How nice! Maybe she can train us!

Sokka: I don't know, remember what happened with Haru?

Katara: Hello, waterbender!

Sokka: She never learns, does she?

Aang shakes his head.

Waterbender in river: Oh, c'mon, leave me alone, I won't let you… Who are you?

Katara: I'm Katara, the tall jerk over there is my brother Sokka, and the guy whit the tattoos is Aang.

Sokka: He's the Avatar!

Waterbender in river: Sweet, I guess…

Aang: So what are you doing out here in the woods?

Waterbender in river: I live here.

Sokka: You do? Why?

Waterbender in river: My tribe kicked me out.

Aang: Why did they do that?

Waterbender in river: Do you really wanna know my story?

Katara: Yes, tell us your story.

Waterbender in river: Okay, but I gotta tell ya, it ain't short.

My name is Ran. I was the first child my mother had back in my home, the River Tribe. Every newborn child was dipped in the Holy River, which we lately discovered contains a very rare particle which makes it twenty times as likely for a child that that child will carry to be a girl instead of a boy. So. As the Men are extremely uncommon, they got all the power. They make the decisions and they get to do everything.

The most important thing in our culture is the Children. The Sons.

Most men marry five to fifteen women at a time. My father had twelve wives when I last saw him.

I have 53 siblings. Only two of them are boys. My Mama was the first of my Fathers wives to have a son. I was nine. So we got thing that the others didn't. We got pretty clothes and a new house, a _really_ big house.

To her father, a girl was not too much of a use. If she was beautiful, then she could be married away richly, if she was a waterbender, then she could be set to work. I was both.

The arranged marriages are aloud from that the Girl turns thirteen. So, when we turn twelve, our fathers try to get boys (hopefully rich ones) to get their attention to us.

But of course their fathers wanna know a little bit about us, so on our twelfth birthday, they give us this.

Ran shows the Gaang her back.

Sokka: What is that?

Ran: A tattoo. It explains everything about me.

Katara: what does it mean?

Ran: She's standing in the River, so she's a bender. Her hair is short, so she's beautiful. The weather is the same as it was the day I was born – sunny whit a few clouds.

We all got these and then we wore dressed that showed the entire back. It's like a wordless pick-up line.

See that thing in the hair, the one that looks added?

Gaang: Yeah?

Ran: It means "Married by own choice."

A: You're MARRIED?

Ran: Lemme tell y'all. About 150 years ago, our tribe had a Chief, whom had a wife that he loved very dearly. She had triplings. Boys. She convinced her husband that people should be able to marry one another if they were in love. But the Chief changed it to: "During the twelfth year of her life, a girl will be able to marry from her own choice but only during that year. After the wedding, the couple will be allowed to spend six months together, but after that the six months have passed, the man must leave to attend to six months of soldier duty abroad." The rule was set because of that men who married from own choice seldom remarries, which means less kids. But anyways.

I met Xian when I was twelve and two months. What can I say, we simply fell in love. He was fifteen and the nicest, sweetest, most caring person I've ever met. And he was quite hot too. He tried to make his dad let us marry when I had turned thirteen, but he refused. It was something about my dad marrying some chick that he wanted five years ago.

So then Xian and I made the ultimate decision – we were going to get married anyway. And so we did. By then I was twelve and five months. We lived happily for together for six months. But then he had to leave. I was so sad when he went away.

The day after that, we got the message. On his very first day Xian had been sent out on a scouting mission together with five other men. They had gotten attacked by a group of fire-benders. The whole place had been soaked with blood, and they had taken their bodies away. The love of my life is dead. K: I'm so sorry… I really am.

Ran: It gets worse. In my tribe the men says that "If a man dies an early death, then it is his wives fault. If they had given him a better stay, then he wouldn't have died." But if a woman dies of course it isn't the husbands fault.

But I'm a woman. And I'm a widow. So I was told that Xian's death was my fault. And then they began with the procedure. They gave me one day to pack. Then they kicked me out. But before they did so, they put on a bracelet on me, so that I could never teach out the River Tribes ways off bending.

So here I am now, a month later, all alone in the forest. My story does not have a happy ending, and no one lives happily ever after, but there it is. I am the thirteen year old widow.

Sokka: Well, that sucks.

Ran: Tell me about it. But I guess you tree should get going. I've taken too much of your time.

Aang: (to Katara and Sokka) I don't know… Can I talk to you guys for a sec over there?

The Gaang walks away a bit, Ran keeps training.

Aang: We can't just leave her here all alone.

Sokka: But what can we do?

Aang: Maybe we could bring her with us to the North Pole?

And so did the Gaang.

**Yeah, that's it.**

**I'm sorry that it's so cheesy, but I had a lot of fun writing it.**

**I'm also sorry if I made any spelling errors, but English is my second language, so I'm gonna blame it on that.**

**Until next time:**

**Love, **

**Ametist now and forever**


	2. Talking

Chapter 2: During the Waterbending Master

While entering himself and Katara to the fighting-bending "program"…

A: My friend and I can't wait to start training, after we've rested for a few days, of course.

Master Pakku: If you wish to rest, then I suggest visiting a tropical island.

A: Alright, I understand your point. But, also, one of my other friends wishes to learn healing if that's ok?

Master Pakku: Which one of them?

A: The young girl, with long dark hair, in the skirt.

Master Pakku: I see. I'm sure she will be able to get taught the ways of healing.

A: Great, thanks!

After Katara fought Master Pakku and Sokka went after Yue…

A: So, all the other boys seem to like you… (Looks at a bunch of guys looking at Ran.)

Ran: What do you mean by that?

A: Don't you ever think about being with someone again?

Ran: Oh… Well, to be honest, I couldn't. They would all just be substitutes of HIM. Just like you couldn't either. You're in love with Katara, aren't you?

A: How did you know?

Ran: Because you look at her just like Xian used to look at me.

A: Don't you think it's strange? I mean, she's older than me…

Ran: Nah, she's 98 years younger than you. Besides, we need a little love in the world. But you should wait a sec to tell her, y'know, mature a bit.

A: I'm not _that_ immature.

Ran: Aang, Katara told me about how she found you. You tried to pick her up with penguins! Penguins!

A: What's wrong whit penguin sledding?

Ran: Aang…

A: Fine, I am immature. I'll wait.

Ran: Good.

They embrace.

**Well that's chapter two! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Until next time:**

**Love,**

**Ametist now and forever**


End file.
